New arrival

[Fuzz]

Hi all, pick up my new car tomorrow, its a 94 williams and i cant wait!

Anyway ive read a lot of the info on here, which i found very helpful when it came to buying the new car, and one point was about the cambelt change being done before 72k. My car has got 66k on the clock so i really want to get the belt changed asap. I have heard that it can be a bit of a bugger to do due to the lack of space under the bonnet, but im quite mechanically minded and having done most of the work on my previouis cars myself, with a little help from my dad, wanted to know if anyone on here knows of a guide or could give me some advice on changing the belt? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated! The best quote i managed to get from a local renault specialist was 180 quid, which compared to the renault main dealers quote of 480 quid, didnt seem too bad. Id still like to have a go myself though.

My email is mailto:kholland@orange.net">kholland@orange.net if anyone knows of a how to guide they could send me.

Cheers.

 

[Scribbler]

IMHO dont touch it yourselfy its a williams for f**k sake i would spend the extra 480 and have it done by renault its a fairly straightforward job but it is tight under there. Like you i have done a few things to engines on various cars but on a classic i would leave it to the pros just for peace of mind plus renault will put it right if they f**k it up, which if you go to a recomended renault main dealer shouldnt happen

 

[Mike@Rentech]

Dont even think about it, I work for renault, you need special tools etc for timing up engine, If you c**k it up then it will cost you a fortune.

get it done at a garage, if goes wrong you will have a garage warranty.

 

[Jim172CUP]

I wouldnt trust Renault anywhere near my car. Its only going back there because of the warrenty.

I used to take my old car to a back street garage, cheap and would do all manner of jobs for cash. Cant be any tighter than the 1.9 diesel clio, now there is no room in that engine bay what so ever.

 

[bouncy tigger]

Fuzz where are you based ? I had my Williams fully serviced and Cambelt done at BB cant remember the exact cost but it was less then £480.

 

[clio sport]

If youre based in the south-east you could take it to renault speed near Aldershot, theyre a really really good setup and dont cost half as much as Renault and they use all genuine Renault parts - its where i used to take mine

 

[Sawa]

Hello there!!! Enjoy your stay at ClioSport and your new car

Sawa

 

[JAY172]

they are tighter than a 1.9 deisal but not that bad.the main problem is the torx bolts that hold the timing covers on are normally tight as f**k.you would need a tdc pin to do it properley(there are cheap enough though),a gen belt(they have timing marks on them to help you) and a manual(haynes or similiar)so you know where the timing marks are(@tdc they is a dot on each cam pulley which should point straight up and line up with a mark on the rocker cover).

 

[Scribbler]

Yeah serviced a 1.9d Club med, there not that bad. Most common mistake is using the really big oil filter there is a smaller one with same part number which fits easily behind the radiator. I think the worst is the R19 16v which if i remember has to drop the subframe to change the cambelt or engine out job.

 

[Rajk]

hello, where u from?

 

[Fuzz]

Im in Devon in the South West. Picked the car up on tuesday and all is good so far, could do with a new set of front tyres though, i cant believe how much it spins up in the wet!!. Not used to that, my GTiR wouldnt spin unless you were on grass or snow!

Im confused what to do now i seem to have a bit of a mixed reaction from you guys. 480 quid seems a lot of money to me, but i really want to get it done as soon as possible and i want to make sure its done right too! It does look like a right b*****d to do though! There just aint no room, i can only just see the bloody thing let alone touch it!

One more thing, how do you know which production number your car is?

Cheers

 

[Cuppy 172]

Gold plate on your dash with unique no. (only if its a willy 1)

 

[Ben H]

If its a Williams as opposed to a Williams 2 or Williams 3, then there will be a number on a gold plaque rivetted to the dashboard next to the heaters. It should be from 0001 to 0399 in the UK (Frank Williams has no 0001).

The Willy 2 and 3 werent homologated for FIA WRC purposes, so there will be no plaque.